


Unfinished business

by Sweet_Solitude



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Ghosts, Jealousy, Making Out, Possession, Temporary Character Death, Unrequited Love, and a kitty, oh well, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 04:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6179761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Solitude/pseuds/Sweet_Solitude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if you fell in love with a women, but died in an accident before you got to confess to her? This exactly is Ben's problem, and Rey's too, because she has a ghost hanging at her place now, refusing to leave until she falls in love with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unfinished business

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the manga Deatta Toki ni Boku Wa Mou Inai by Shimaki Ako  
> It's sad, be warned, there's some angst and hurt but also comfort and love. Enjoy!

Rey poured milk into a little bowl and put it on the ground, in front of the little kitten. „There you go“ she said as the cute little guy began to drink. She put the empty bottle into her bag and stood up. „I'll see you tomorrow!“ Few weeks ago on her way back from work, she noticed this stray kitten going through the trash behind a store and since then, she always brought some milk with her. If her landlord allowed pets in the building, she would’ve adopted it straight away. She walked out of the alley and back onto the busy sidewalk. 

A couple of older women were discussing an accident that happened just around the corner a few minutes ago. Apparently someone got hit by a car. Rey felt a sting of empathy towards the victim, whoever they were. 

Half an hour later she was almost at home when she heard a male voice right beside her „Rey.“ she automatically turned her head towards the source of the voice „Yes?“ she asked lightly. A man, tall, with black hair and dark eyes, now wide, stared at her. “You can see me?” he seemed shocked by that fact. “Of course I can...” Rey gave him a little smile, not sure what he meant, but after a second, she noticed that she could see her neighbour’s mailbox right through his chest. The man was almost transparent. “I didn’t think anyone could see me, you know... I just died earlier and...” He didn’t finish the sentence when Rey gave out a loud scream and ran towards her building, opening the front door as fast as she could and slamming them behind her. She took the stairs, it was faster than to wait for the elevator, and reached her apartment on the second floor. Inside, she pressed her back on the wall, feeling her legs shaking. She just saw a ghost, A real ghost. 

“I wonder, is it the power of love?” Rey froze at the words, turning her head to the left, where the ghosts head poked out of the wall. “It must be” he continued and took a few steps forward, completely passing through the wall into her living room ”I bet this is why I could reach you.” Rey felt fuzzy in her head. She shut her eyes closed and started mumbling “There’s nothing there, there’s nothing there!” 

She felt the air getting colder in front of her. “There’s no way you could be that scared of me, I’m just a ghost!” She heard him saying and opened her eyes again. He was right in front of her, with a grin on his face and both his hands against the wall on each of her sides. She was trapped and she shuddered as he was surrounded by a cold aura. 

Terrified and without knowing what to do in such situation, she just covered her face with her hands . “Please go away! Go to heaven, or towards the light, whatever, just go!” she cried out. “I can’t. “ he said. Rey peeked through her fingers. “Spirits can’t move on when they have some regrets. Didn’t you know that?” No, she did not. “If that’s the case, why not hurry up and go eliminate your regrets? She asked. “That’s why I’m here” He said and his grin got wider. Rey was baffled. “What do you mean?” She started feeling even more uneasy. 

“My unfinished business, is to make you fall in love with me” Rey gasped and ducked under his arm, trying to put some distance between them. “Noooo! Please go away!!” He started getting closer and she ran towards the door, planning to run outside and get help. The last thing she remembered, was as if someone poured icy water all over her. Then, everything faded to dark.

She heard water dripping somewhere as she opened her eyes. There were puffs of steam above her and she felt pleasant warmth all around her body. She raised her head and realized she was in the bathtub, filled with water.

Disoriented, she sat up “When the hell did I enter the bath?” She said loudly to herself. “Sorry Rey, I had to put you in it to warm you up. Your lips started to turn blue from my coldness after I possessed you, to stop you from running away.” There was this voice again. Rey turn around and saw the ghost kneeling beside the tub, giving her a concerned look. That’s when she realized she was completely naked, and, due to him being so close, her body reacted to his cold aura by making her nipples hard. 

Rey felt a rush of anger and embarrassment, especially because his eyes followed her own down her chest and he opened his mouth, staring. She covered herself with one arm and grabbed a shampoo bottle with the other. “What are you looking at?!” she yelled and threw the bottle at his head, but it passed right through him and hit a shelf on the other side of the bathroom, knocking down a few things. “And what do you mean you possessed me?! How dare you taking off my clothes?! And how do you know my name?” She kept yelling as she grabbed a towel hanging beside the tub and stood up, covering herself with it and getting out of the tub. “I’m sorry, I panicked, you looked really cold after I took over your body, I didn’t know this would happen!” he tried to explain. 

“Listen, I know this all seems crazy, and that you must be scared, and I definitely went too far... My name is Ben, and the truth is, I wanted to talk to you since a long time. I work in the building right next to your office and you passed me on the street many times, without even noticing me. We even go to the same coffee shop, but you were always focused on something else, looking on your cell, talking to your friends, you never saw me smiling at you. I know you name because your colleague once called after you on the street. Rey...I didn't know how to come up and try to talk to you, and today I actually planned to do that, but this car came out of nowhere...” he looked so miserable, Rey calmed down and clenched her fingers at the edge of her towel. 

The car...? Today? Was he the victim from the accident she heard about earlier? She felt a wave of compassion towards him. He was killed only a couple hours ago, and got stuck here in this form, because he cared about her...? Although the situation was still freaking her out, she started feeling deeply sorry for him.

“I... I’m sorry this happened to you.” she said and looked at him closely for the first time. He was actually really good looking. There was something different about his face, he wasn’t a common type of a nice looking guy, and had a rather unusual face, with a big nose and lips. His hair was a mess of black waves, that he brushed to the back with his fingers, showing how nervous he was right now. He was also very tall, she noticed, taking up a lot of space in her small bathroom. It was a pity she didn’t saw him smiling at her at so many occasions.

He looked at her and smiled. “You are so kind. To everyone, always cheerful and polite. I also saw you feeding that kitty...you see, this is why I came to like you. You seem like a ray of sunshine to me.” He said boldly. Rey suddenly felt really hot on her face. No one ever confessed to her like that, unabashedly and...cute.

“So...I can’t leave untill you get to like me, so I guess I’m stuck here” he said, smiling. Oh no, she didn’t think of that. He can’t impossibly stay here with her. There must be a way to help him to get to the other side...

“Listen, why don’t you wait in the living room, let me get dressed and then we’ll think about how to help you ok?” He looked at her “You mean how to get you to fall for m...” Rey blushed “I didn’t say that and please get out of the bathroom!” He raised his hands “ok, ok, no reason to get angry, I’m already gone.” he said and walked through the closed door. Rey sighed. What a mess. There must be another way than her falling in love with a ghost to release him, right? She’ll look up a... psychic, perhaps, or a medium. Maybe she will call the Ghost Busters, she thought, chuckling to herself. This situation was so bizarre, nothing seemed impossible now.

She put on the clothes that were lying on a chair in the corner and got out of the bathroom, to find Ben looking out the window. She didn’t say anything, only walked towards her laptop, turning it on and started researching ghosts. The majority of the websites she found were ridiculous. They had scary stories and black backgrounds, poorly photoshopped pictures of ghost that looked macabre, nothing like the handsome guy walking around her living room while passing through the sofa and the table with his legs. She shut the laptop down and sighed, resigned. “Let’s get out” she said to him. “I need fresh air to think”, she slid her feet into her sneakers and grabbed the house keys. Ben followed her silently. 

They were walking for a couple of minutes when he finally spoke. “Rey, I am so sorry for putting you through this. I just can’t help that I like you, and I never planned to die and remain here as a spirit to bother you...” he started apologizing “ I know.” She answered shortly “And we’re gonna find a way to help you, I promise” Ben didn’t answer to that. He didn’t want to mention that one way he knew would help him. He didn’t want to anger or push her. 

Later, they returned home without a plan. Rey called a couple of self-proclaimed psychics and left them messages on their answering machines, shortly explaining her situation to them. They took their time, however, and Rey didn’t get any calls for the next three days, that she spent with Ben in her apartment. 

She had to admit it, that it wasn’t as bad as she had imagined, to live with a ghost. Ben stopped walking through walls and doors, not wanting to scare or annoy Rey, instead he called her from the other rooms, asking if he may enter, as he cound’t knock. Rey was really grateful for that. It made him appear almost normal. She also found out how easy it was to talk to him, which also made her feel sorry again, that they didn’t get to do that before his accident. Sometimes, in the evenings, they talked for hours. She discovered how many similar interests they had, and how great his sense of humor was. When she told him about not being allowed having pets in her apartment, he said that he would love to adopt the stray kitty she was taking care of. But then they both fell silent, remembering he couldn’t do that anymore. She wouldn’t admit it to herself, but she really warmed up to him. Sometimes she caught herself wanting to put her hand on his shoulder as they talked and laughed, she wanted to feel his warm skin, but then remembered he was unsubstantial and it was really hard to accept.

While she was at work, Ben stayed home. She really didn’t want him following her in the office, she wouldn’t be able to focus. 

After almost two weeks of researching, calling more mediums who turned out to be frauds and looking for a solution to their problem, she got walked back home by a friend from work, Poe. They talked for a minute or two in front of the house and as he was saying goodbye, he hugged her for a second, just as he did with everyone else. Rey got to the apartment to find Ben sitting on the floor under the window, looking miserable. “Who was that?” he asked her “Who...oh, you saw us? That was Poe, a friend I work with. He walked me home, wanting to talk about what we’re working on. Why? She put her bag and her keys on the table. Ben stood up. “Nothing, just... the way he hugged you...” He wasn’t looking at her. Rey felt her heart pounding. Was he jealous? She shook her head. “It’s his way. He’s always hugging everyone, no big deal.” Ben didn’t answer, only pressed his lips together.

Two days later, she got home to find Poe standing by her apartment door, smiling. “Hi, what are you doing here?” She greeted him. “I have to talk to you” he said. “Do you have a minute?” Rey was surprised, but she smiled and unlocked her door. “Sure, come in!”. Poe walked inside and she shut the door. She took a quick glance around the place. Ben was nowhere to be seen. Usually he was greeting her at the door, asking how her day went. “Take a seat!” she pointed to the sofa “Do you like something to drink before we talk?” she turned to Poe to find him standing very close. “Rey...” he said silently and his hands shoot out to her waist, he pulled her in, pressing their bodies together as his lips fell on her own. Rey was so shocked at this, she couldn’t react for a few seconds. Poe continued to kiss her, and his hands on her waist gripped her tighter, thumbs moving on her belly. She parted her lips to say something, tell him to stop, but he took it as an invitation and immediately licked into her mouth, putting his hands on the sides of her face. He hummed, as he gently bit her lower lip, just to lick over it right after. Rey put her hands against his chest and pushed. Their lips parted, and just as she was about to tell him she didn’t want that, she noticed Poe’s lips were blue. Not from kissing her, but from the coldness inside him. Rey pushed as hard as she could and Poe fell backward, and then to the ground, unconscious. At his place, in front of her, stood Ben, panting. Rey glared at him.

“Did you just possessed him??” He didn’t look sorry. “Yes, I did. And you know what? I’m glad I did, because I wanted what he can have! He hugged you, he knew how you feel like! And now, at least I know how it feels like to kiss you, I may never rest in peace, but at least I know the taste of your lips...!” He fell silent, giving her a desperate look. Rey felt her face heating up. She touched her lips with her finger tips. It was Ben kissing her, not Poe. It was his hands on her waist. She realized this was the only way she could feel him and suddenly her heart felt so heavy. “Ben...” She slid down to the floor, and he followed her. There was no way he could comfort her, she knew that. 

“Rey, just tell me, tell me what you feel. Even if you don’t like me, maybe the words alone work and it will give me peace.” He said with a sad smile. “No!” she looked up at him, tears falling down her face “Please don’t make me do that!” Ben looked crushed. “Is it so hard to say, even without it being true?” Rey gasped. “Oh Ben, if I do say it, you’ll leave...and I don’t want that!” He raised his eyebrows “You...want me to stay?” A sad smile appeared on his face. “This wouldn't be the life I’d wish for you, Rey. You deserve to be with someone who will hold your hands while you walk together on the street, and take you in his arms when you need comforting.” Rey shook her head. “I don’t care about that, I want you!” 

He got closer, looking into her eyes “Rey...” she felt his aura brushing her skin like a fresh breeze. “Ben, I...fell in love with you.” Now she really started to cry. She saw tears forming in his eyes as well. “Please don’t leave me!” He raised his hand, as if he wanted to touch her cheek. Rey noticed that his fingers were more transparent than usual. Startled, she stood up. “Oh no, no no! You’re dissappearing!” Ben looked at his hands, that got more and more invisible with every second. “Rey”, he gave her a desperate look, and the smiled sadly. “Thank you, Rey.” She sobbed, as his voice was more like a whisper now. “Don’t...!” 

He was gone. She stood alone, sobbing, feeling heartbroken. She should’ve been quiet, she should’ve told him that she didn’t loved him. He would still be there. 

After few minutes, Poe regained consciousness, without any memories of how he got into her apartment. She made out a story and sent him home in a cab, too numb to care if he believed her.

For an entire week she felt dead to the world. She called in sick and buried herself in her apartment, unable to go out. After her friends repeatedly called to check if she was ok, she decided to gather herself up and try to go back to her normal life, before Ben entered it. She never had to do anything that hard. On her way to work, she passed the alley where she fed the kitten. She stopped and called it as she usually did, but the alley was empty. The kitty was gone too.

Rey walked over to the empty bowl she brough her a couple of week ago and felt like crying again. She was so completely alone. She tried not to let the tears fall on her cheeks as she felt someone’s hand on her shoulder.

Startled, she turned around and it took her breath away. Behind her, stood Ben. Alive, with a warm hand gripping her arm and bandages on his head. “Rey...” he said softly. She fell into his arms and let out a shaky breath. “I’m still here. I’m alive, I was in a coma, in a critical condition but it turned around a week ago. They released me today, well... they didn’t want to but I insisted, I couldn’t wait longer knowing you’re out there, grieving.” He told her while holding her tightly. “I came here first, to take the cat with me and surprise you...it’s in my car now” Rey couldn’t believe it. She was pressing her cheek on his chest, so warm and comforting, the feeling seeped into her bones. She was inhaling his scent and hearing his heart beat. “Ben, I missed you so much!” He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you too.” Rey looked up at him. “I love you.” He smiled. “I love you too, I loved you for so long now” He lowered his head and kissed her.  
It was Rey’s turn to know how his lips tasted like.


End file.
